Latest Awards

Computed tomography (CT) scanning is central to the capabilities of any modern radiology service. Using X-rays directed from a number of different angles and a computer that reconstructs or adds these images together, CT can provide highly precise information in cross-sectional “slices” or in three-dimensional images.

CT was conventionally used to image the hard tissues of the body-bones and calcified tumors-because of the ability of X-rays to show dense areas. The modality found broad use for skeletal evaluation and then also in looking for cancerous masses.

But CT scanning technology has become so refined and sensitive that it can now quickly provide highly detailed images of any organs and areas in the body. In addition to its ongoing utility in showing broken bones, for example, CT is an excellent modality for imaging the chest and identifying tissue injury. And, when combined with angiography, CT can show details of vascular areas that cannot be achieved in quite the same way with any other type of imaging.

Lourdes places special emphasis on its CT capabilities. The density and resolution of CT images depends in part on how many different planes of information the CT machine is designed to record. Lourdes offers imaging from both 16- and 64-slice CT units. The 64-slice unit offers the leading edge in definition for CT imagery and is capable of providing high-speed 3-D reconstructions of the heart and other organs.

The American College of Radiology has accredited the CT imaging services at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden.

X-ray sources in CT scanning send electron beams through the body from a number of different angles to detectors in different positions. Computer reconstructions of this information are more detailed than regular X-rays.